REVIEW OF I AM PILGRIM

REVIEW BY TOM

I Am Pilgrim: If HBW&tEotW is all about duality, I Am Pilgrim is positively quadrophenic, because that’s at least how many mysteries are packed into its 800+ pages.  A murder in New York, a bullet-riddled assassination in Greece, the ultimate terror act across most of Southwest Asia, and a murder in Bodrum all collide in the ruins of an ancient Roman gladiator arena.  The plot devices are far-fetched, the coincidences would make Dickens blush, and the characters are barely individualised versions of cinema archetypes, but it’s the best pot-boiler I’ve read in a long time.  I like that it’s ambitious in its scope.  I like even more that it’s written in a straight-ahead style that keeps all the attention on the action and characters. And I like best of all that 800 pages felt like 300.  No, it is not great literature, but I think it’s a near-classic of its genre.  

**** Stars